Oh Ship!: A One Piece Adventure
by Frogs404
Summary: A merchant's daughter runs away from her island to become a shipwright at the shipwright capitol of the grand line:Water 7. Things take a weird turn when the heart pirates steal her ship that she had been working on, with her on it! Join Althea Affari in her adventure as she sails with the heart pirates! OCxOC, other possible pairings later. It isn't called Oh Ship for nothing!
1. Chapter 1: Arrival

**Hello People! I have had this oc in my head for the longest time without writing it down. I started writing it down one day when I was bored and my sister begged me to write more. Ando so write more I did. I finally decied to post it and now here it is. Oh ship! : A one piece adventure!**

Ships. In this great pirate era, with many searching for the One Piece, there is nothing more important than those beautiful creations of men. These majestic vessels hold the key to travel and trade, harnessing the wind and seas to speed through the water, and passing through straits with dire accuracy. Under a watchful eye, a steady hand, and a trained crew, a ship is as much as a deadly weapon as a gun, or sword.

Ships have fascinated me all my life. As a child, I would always run my hand over the craftsmanship observing it from every angle. Growing up in Seagia, the trading capital of the Grand Line, with a merchant father, you see many ships in your lifetime. More accurate would be to say my dad was the head of a trading empire. I have lived in comfort all my life, and I enjoy it, the food, the home, the servants, and an education that many dream about. Even as a girl, I was instructed in many topics necessary for a merchant: mathematics, science (water, wind, and other natural topics), planning, writing/logging, astronomy, and other subjects that would forward my career as a merchant. However, there was only one profession I wanted to take on, and that wasn't being a merchant: it was to be a shipwright. I had asked my father many times, but each time he refused. After five tries, it was never brought up again, but the desire grew over the years.

* * *

I tiptoed into my parent's room, and then face-palmed as I realized I didn't have to do so, they were away on business. I resumed a normal stride as I walked up to the portrait above their bed, pulling it away to reveal a small grey safe with a combination lock. I reached into my pocket to retrieve the spare copy of the code that I had pilfered off my father's desk. I spun in the numbers quickly and it opened with a click. I peered inside the surprisingly long safe to see gold, jewels, and bills, you name it, it was there. I reached inside and took a good amount. I would need it for lodgings, clothes, and food. I could get a job later on, but I couldn't start with nothing, so I filled a small bag with the gems, gold, and money and laid it on the floor next to my bag with a few sets of clothes. If I didn't get the apprenticeship, I would only need a few sets of clothes anyway, as I would come back. I went back into my room and changed into comfortable traveling clothes, I did have a few lying around. I grabbed my two bags, the smaller of the two, the one filled with money, was slung over my shoulder like a shoulder bag or purse, while the larger one, with my clothes and more like a duffel bag, was carried in my hand. I walked out the door, then paused and took one last look back at my home, the home that had been my family's home for generations. The one I had grown up in, the one my father had grown up in, and the home I would not see for a while (assuming I get an apprenticeship). I had grown up richer then most, not o sound conceited, and I lived a privileged life of servants and tutors and a company to be inherited by me, and just like any sane person would, I liked it. But I was not free to pursue my dream, and so I had to leave the lap of luxury in order to stand on my own two feet and become a shipwright. _Goodbye._ I thought as I turned on my heels and picked up my bags. _Like in as they say in Seagia, the sea may carry me as it wills, but we will always find a way back home. _

I arrived at the sea-train station ten minutes before the train came. I paid for my ticket to Fume Island, a measly 500 berries, and I boarded the train as it came. The ride to fume island was uneventful and I marveled at the engineering of the sea train, the water did not slow it down. It was a very short ride however, and soon I found myself on the platform of Fume Island, waiting for the train to come.

I went to sit down on one of the benches on the platform, coughing from the smoke and fumes that emanated out of the factories, and thought about a plan of action to set in motion once I reached the shipwrighting capital of the grand line, Water 7. The big question was, what happens if I don't get the apprenticeship? Should I come back? Should I stay and get a different job? I know that my knowledge, the knowledge I gained after grueling hours of tutoring, and my merchant experience would be helpful in getting a job as a merchant in Water 7, but I didn't know whether I should come back or not if I did not get the apprenticeship. I was snapped out of my thoughts as the sea train slowed to a stop, wheels screeching as it halted.

The train doors opened and conductors stood at the doors accepting tickets. People began to line up to get on, and the sound of holes being punched and tickets taken could be heard. I had gotten up as soon as the sea train rolled in, and so I was one of the first on the train, and I was able to choose a nice seat for myself. I lifted my duffel bag above my head and put it in the overhead compartment, closing it and sitting back down. The seats were very comfortable, so I relaxed into the aisle seat and wondered if someone was going to sit next to me. I was not really against sitting with people that I didn't know, but I hated when the people were rude, pushy, or just silent and creepy. The best ones were the ones you could strike up a conversation with, but did not feel obligated to speak with.

As the train started to move, a voice could be heard outside to stop the train. I looked out of the window and I saw a gut running alongside the train, trying to find a compartment that had not been closed off. He had dark brown hair with chocolate undertones, and black eyes. "Stop the train!" He yelled, and the conductor moved to the door, opening it. The train was not moving very fast, so he jumped on without much trouble. And then tripped over the rug. Rubbing at the back of his head embarrassedly, he rose and gave the conductor his ticket. "Sorry about that. I was running late because I overslept. " The conductor let him pass and the young man began walking down the aisle, his head turning as he searched the car for a seat. He noticed I did not have a seat partner and so he practically bounded over to me. "Is this seat taken?" He asked me with a smile on his face. I sighed and scooted over to the window seat. He plopped down onto the aisle seat, his face showing the relief he felt about getting on in time. He looked at me and breathed out loudly. "You know, I thought I wasn't going to make it for a second." I smiled.

"Well you did. And you put on a rather impressive display while you were at it." He laughed, and leaned forward and turned to me.

"I'm glad someone enjoyed it." He raised his fist to the air and shook it. "Man when I get back, those guys are going to hear it.

"Who?" I asked and then realized I was being rude. I was asking a person I did not know the name of about himself. He didn't seem to mind, as he just smiled and looked up at the ceiling, stretching his arms out in front of him, his fingers interlaced.

"The guys back at the restaurant I work at." He faintly smiled as he reminisced. "I started out working there part-time waiting tables and cleaning. Even though they were full-time chefs, they found time to say hi and hang out. Later on, when I became a chef, they welcomed me into the group."

"Why'd you become a chef, anyway?" I asked him. He turned to me.

"I grew up poor. I had little brothers who needed me to take care of them while my parents were both working. To earn some extra money, I worked part-time and read books on the side instead of going to school. That was a privilege for the rich on my island."

"Your island?" I asked, curious.

"Yeah, Fume Island, the one we. It's a pretty big island, but there's not much work besides the factories. My Mom didn't want me exposed the gasses so I went to find work elsewhere. I was lucky to get a job at the restaurant. One day I was behind cleaning up and one of the chefs was there creating a new dish. I was watching from around the corner and when he noticed me, he invited me to try it after he was finished. I sat down and he continued cooking, and I couldn't take my eyes off of him. The way he was creating a delicious meal from the mediocre ingredients was just amazing."

"You must have really admired him."

"I did. He was like a father to me, almost the same age too, and he treated me like his son." He turned back to me. "Now be quiet while I finish the story." He said playfully and I laughed, making him playfully pout, and made me laugh harder. "He saw me starting and then told me to take his knife and cook the meal. I was surprised, but I took the knife and did as he said. He led me step by step through the process and I loved it. He told me I had natural talent and began training me to be a chef. I became a chef when one of the other chefs quit because of the pay. He had been there for a while and wanted a raise, but the restaurant could not afford it. So since then I have been a chef at the Flambeau bistro and restaurant. " He turned to me. "Now what's your story?"

"Me?" I asked. "Well I grew up pretty normally…." I was nervous and I was not sure of my making things up on the spot skill.

"Come on, that can't be it."

"Well… my dad worked for a merchant, and so I was always around ships as a kid. I loved them, and they I was always in awe of them. I loved how two shipwrights could build completely different ships with the same materials. And how ships were always evolving, and technology was always moving forward. They are vital to this era and they can even evade Sea Kings in the calm belts. They are amazing." I started to ramble. (a/n excuse the ship rambling…. It's kind of her personality)." I looked over at him and realized he was giving me a look that said, you can stop now. "And so I got my parents permission to go to water 7 and become a shipwright." I looked back over to him. "Where are you headed?"

He grinned like a fool. "Well since my master got me a spot in the prestigious cooking academy in Seagia, I am heading there."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "I know that place! I walk past it all the time."

"Really?!" He asked excitedly, "What is it like? How is it?! Is it nice there?!"

"I said I walk past it, not in it." I said, and he deflated. "W-well it looks like it is really nice, though." I said hurriedly. He brightened up almost immediately.

"Well now that we have spilled our guts to each other, can I ask for your name."

"Althea." I said, trying to think of a last name. I couldn't use Affari, because he might recognize the name. I went through the last names of my dad's workers. Meyer? No. Lestrade? No way in hell. Ross…. Yes, that could work. "I'm Althea Ross."

"Elias Brighton." He held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Althea."

"Nice to meet you, too, Elias." I replied and shook his hand.

"So what do you like to do in your free time, when you aren't fingering over ships, that is." He said teasingly, trying to strike up conversation. We did have another hour and a half, of course.

"That's rich coming from the fanboy chef." I replied, taunting him.

"I am not a fanboy." He said, looking insulted. I was about to half apologize, he did call me a ship fangirl, which I mean I am sort of, but you don't need to point it out, when he suddenly burst out saying, "I am a fanMAN!" I just stared at him and sweatdropped as the entire train looked at us. He scratched at the back of his head sheepishly, turned his head, and apologized to everyone.

"Well what is your favorite food, Mr. fanman chef?" I said and we lapsed into conversation. We talked for the rest of the hour and a half, and when it came time to get off we were surprised. Time had just flown. I said goodbye to Elias and got off the train. I walked out of the very large Blue Station to see many people on Bulls riding around, the elevators bringing people up to higher levels, the colorful buildings, and the shipyards. I was finally here. It was time to start my adventure!

* * *

**I hope you guys liked this. I will try to write and post the next one as soon as I can. School can be a bitch sometimes. Reviews are appreciated(I could use all the constructive criticism I can get) and follows would be amazing. **

**Also, This is not called Oh Ship for nothing. My fellow fans, I may be adding pairings later on. I will do some funny situations but I do not want to dislike this fic because I have some guy x guy pairings(no explicit stuff) but I will be asking for your guy's consent later on. Also, keep an eye out for our Chef, he will show up again. I will ask you guys about every few chapters. So here's a question to you all? Do you mind guy x guys ships? Review if possible. **


	2. Chapter 2: making the trade

**Minna! Inzauma eleven- …okay hello everyone! (If you got that reference, you are amazing!)**

**So this is the second chapter of my oc story. My sister is making me write this for her, love you sis, because I owe her a lot. And so this chapter will be dedicated to you, and all of my 5 followers, and 3 reviewers. I feel so happy that people actually want to read this! **

* * *

I walked around the city in awe. I had wanted to come here for so long. As I walked through the city, I looked around at what would be my new home. First things first, I need new clothes. I looked down at what I was wearing and realized my clothes would never cut it. Even though they were pants and a shirt, unlike most of my clothes back home which involved some form of skirt and/or jacket, these were made of thin, silk–like material and would never survive long if I was going to be a shipwright.

I walked up a few levels and crossed a few pedestrian bridges in order to reach the market district. It was a large area with many stands and shops lining the streets. I walked down the streets, hoping to find a store with durable girl's work clothes, and I went into a few shops. However, the clothes there did not cut it. Some were too revealing, some were too light, some were too expensive, and some were just not my style. I must have been walking for at least two hours when I finally came across a small store. It was probably a family-run business. Through the darkened glass of the window, I saw some dresses, but off to the back I saw what looked to be cargo pants and some confortable shirts. I shrugged; it couldn't hurt to go in. I had gone into at least five stores and found nothing yet, might as well try another one. I looked up at the sign above the store. Vestiti d'acqua. Kind of a strange name, but okay. As I walked in, a bell attached to the door jingled, signaling to the man at the counter.

"Welcome to vestiti d'acqua." The man at the counter said kindly. "All of these clothes were handmade by my wife and I, and all are made with a lightweight durable material. Feel free to try things on, a dressing room is in the back." I thanked him and walked to right to the side with women's clothes. I ignored the dresses and instead went straight for the work pants and shirts towards the back of the shop. A few pieces piqued my interest, and I picked up a few things to go try on in the dressing room. The clothes I had picked were cargo pants, which came in navy, khaki-color, and black, shorts similar to the cargo pants, a few plain shirts, which came in a variety of colors and in long and short sleeves, and a few jackets. All of the clothes were surprisingly lightweight, comfortable, and durable. I exited the changing room, picked up a few more colors of shirts and jackets, grabbed a few pairs of pajamas in my size, and headed over to the counter to pay for my clothes. The clothes came out to be 2,000 belli, a bit expensive, but these were clothes were of nice quality, and I had taken much more than that from my parents safe. I paid and left the store, taking note of its location for when I needed new clothes. I walked out and wandered around the marketplace some more, eating at a small seafood restaurant called Vongole(a/n called vongole because vongole means clams in Italian), and stopped at a shoe store to get a pair of work shoes and a pair of boots.

By that time, it was getting late, so I went to find a hotel. I found one right near Galley-La Company Dock 1. As I walked towards it, I noticed a sign outside of the doors for Dock 1 that read, "Apprenticeship test for Galley-La: April 18 at 11:00. 5 apprentices taken this year." I read the sign and noticed it said April 18; that is tomorrow. So it was at 11:00.I knew that it was tomorrow, but I didn't what time. I guess it was lucky I found the sign. I turned and walked to the entrance of the hotel and got a room for two nights. I didn't know how long it would take to choose the apprentices, but if I needed to stay longer I could always pay for longer. I climbed the stairs to my room, and with the key I received from the door, opened the door, and with a tired sigh, flopped on my bed. I threw my bag of clothes on the other bed and got changed into a pair of my new pajamas. With that, I got into bed and fell asleep.

* * *

By the time I woke up, it was 10:00 and I only had an hour to get ready. Changing into my new cargo pants and black short sleeve shirt, I grabbed the key to my room and my wallet, and raced down the stairs. I wanted to grab breakfast before the apprenticeship test. I ran across a few bridges, trying to find a bakery. I My stomach was rumbling, and I was running out of time before the test. I must have been running around for thirty-five minutes when I thought, screw this, and ran back to dock one, so that I would not miss the test.

As I ran up to the doors, I saw they were closing after letting all the apprenticeship candidates through. I sprinted my fastest and raced through the opening, just barley making it in time to hear the doors close behind me. I stopped and caught my breath, and man without a shirt, and tattoos lining his chest, who was carrying a long piece of wood chucked nest to me.

I turned to him and said, "You try sprinting a few miles on a pedestrian heavy time of the day in like 9 minutes. It is not easy." He laughed, saying something to himself. He then pointed in front of me, and I looked up from catching my breath to notice everyone walking away. I perked up and sprinted away immediately, leaving the tattooed man in the dust, chuckling,

When I caught up to the rest of the group, I heard people talking amongst themselves.

"Did you hear that they were only going to take five people this year?' I listened in on a conversation between two guys. The first was a black haired guy, with a green jacket on who had a smug look on his face, while the other had dirty blond hair, and was wearing a blue orange and red and brown striped scarf.

"What!?" The scarf guy said surprised. Only five people…. How was I going to make it with zero shipwrighting experience.

"Yeah," The first one said. "However, I'm sure I'll get in." He puffed out his chest. "My father worked for Aqua wrighters and now works at dock four. He taught me everything he knows." Aqua wrighters. Wasn't that the worst of the seven shipwrighting companies on Water 7 before Iceburg united them under the Galley-la company. And wasn't dock four the fourth to lowest dock in Galley-La. If the docks are by ascending order by skill, doesn't that mean dock four is not that good. I laughed to myself. I may not get in, but at least I know my stuff.

I turned my head away from the two of them in order to scope out my competition. To my left, I saw a man with green hair and a top hat, a blonde woman who wore a really revealing miniskirt and tanktop, and many others. To my left, there was a guy in shorts and a t-shirt, with a carefree look on his face, and dark circles under his eyes. Next to him was a guy who looked super excited and seemed to not stop talking no matter what his friend said. He had on a purple polo shirt, and wore grey slacks. I guess since the test was only once a year, there were a lot of different people who wanted to get in. I started to get a little nervous from the number of people there.

After a bit of walking, we were led to an area where a group of tools and wood had been set out for about 70 people, which was a few more than the amount of people we had in the group. Each person received a hammer, a saw, nuts, bolts, a screwdriver, nails, and about 5 long pieces of wood. Each set of tools and wood was on an individual square of about 3 meters by 3 meters, about 9-10 feet for each side.

Waiting there for us was Iceberg, the president of the galley-la company. I had seen him before; I had come by sea train to Water 7 so that my father could purchase trading vessels. He had blue hair, was wearing a striped polo shirt and slacks, and had a clipboard in his hand.

"Everyone pick a station and then we can begin." Iceberg said in a commanding tone. We all spread out among the seventy stations, though a few stations were left unused. I ended up at one of the stations in the front middle rows and I picked up the tools at my station. I had never used these tools before, would I be okay? "Now, I will introduce myself. I am Iceberg, president of the Galley- La Company. " A cheer went up through the candidates, and I found myself cheering a bit, too. Iceberg motioned for us to stop and then motioned behind him. From behind Iceberg came a man in a white tank top, suspenders, black slacks, and a top hat with a white bird with a tie on his shoulder. To my surprise the bird opened its mouth and began to speak.

"Hello candidates, I am Hattori the bird and this is Rob Lucci, one of the senior shipwrights here." It said pointing to the man. "He will be showing you how do build a certain piece of the side of a ship. You are to do as he does. This test will be graded on how well you do, but this will be judged on how good of work for how long you have been doing this." The bird said. That made my relieved. So the ones who already knew a bit of shipwrighting would not have an advantage.

* * *

The project had ended up being a small part of the hull of a ship, just as the bird had said. I found myself enjoying the lesson tremendously, and I loved the way the tools fit in my hands. It felt like I had been using them my whole life. At last I was done, and Iceberg and other shipwrights with clipboards began to take our names, our years of experience, and rate how well we did.

"Hello." Iceberg said as he came around to my station. I was so lucky to have Iceberg judge my work. Even if I didn't get chosen, this would still be a day I will look back on as one of the best days of my life.

"Hello." I said back, even though I was happy, I was very nervous. What would he think of my work? I had watched him as he went around, and I had seen many disapproving looks from him. But as I watched him look at my work, he seemed pleasantly surprised. He whispered something under his breath that sounded something like 'Don. She did it with a don.' But, I had no idea what that meant. He wrote something down on his clipboard and looked back up at me.

"How long have you been shipwrigting? With this level of skill you should have been doing this for at least two years or-"

"Um… I just started today." I said shyly, and his mouth fell open with shock, but he composed himself and asked me another question.

"And your name is?" He asked.

"Althea. Althea Ross." I replied. He smiled and winked at me as he started to move onto the next person's work.

"The results will be posted tomorrow morning." And he walked off. I took his answer to mean that he was considering me for an apprenticeship, and almost jumped for joy, but I kept my composure as I exited dock one. I was really hungry, and I really needed to get something to eat.

That night I returned to the hotel and slept soundly. I only awoke to the sounds of people outside the hotel. I got ready quickly and hurried downstairs to see what the commotion was. To my surprise, there was a large crowd of seventy or more people crowding around the doors to dock 1. I stared, not knowing what to do or what was happening. People pushed and surged toward the center and I could swear I could hear someone crying for help.

Next to me I heard someone chuckling. I turned my head and saw a shipwright next to me. It was Paulie, I recognized him from yesterday after he helped with the demonstration. He had a smile on his face and a faraway look in his eyes and he began talking to himself.

"It reminds me of when I applied for an apprenticeship at Galley-La. When I got picked I was estatic I was going to be taught by one of the people who helped build the sea train."

"Was it always this hectic on assignment day?" I asked him. He jumped a bit, just noticing me there, but then recovered and started to laugh.

"Try seven times more. Every shipwright company used to post their apprenticeship assignments on this door." I winced and he laughed louder. "Did you try for the apprenticeship?" He asked me and I nodded.

"I'm Althea Ross." He unexpectedly smirked and turned to go. He waved behind towards me.

"I'll see you around then." He said as if we were sharing an inside joke and I became confused.

"W-Wait." I said and he stopped and turned around, waiting for me to speak. "What do you mean, I asked. He just smirked and turned back around, only to whip out his ropes, catching me and throwing me into the air, over the crowd of people, and… into the wall just above the sheet.

"Sorry!" I heard Paulie yell from behind the people. "I meant to put you down in front of the list, not above it!" I lifted myself off of the ground and rubbed my nose. I raised my head up, and looked at the sheet.

Galley-La Company

Clark Sullivan- Dock 3

Alex Wienreb – Dock 1

Marcus DeLatorre- Dock 4

Martin Dodge- Dock 2

Althea Ross- Dock 1

I made it. I got in.

* * *

**Hello, Hope you enjoyed it. I cannot believe I got this done with all the tests and quizzes I had this week! I am kind of proud of myself, but at the same time, I cant believe I wasted that much time procrastinating…. Well anyway, I read manga online and something big happened in the one piece world on dressoa- I practically fangirled when I saw it, except that I was around normal people and I don't fangirl around normal people. If you have not checked it out, it is one piece chapter 744. I also have a question for you guys. would you like a side story for Elias? Answer in the reviews section.**


	3. Chapter 3: Galley La-de-da part 1

**Hello people again. It has been a while since I uploaded, at least two weeks, but I have been sick, and then I was busy, and I did not have much time. Since a few of you wanted it, a side story for Elias will be coming out, but you may have to wait a bit. I want to release it after I tell what he had been doing for the time before he comes back, and I have the basis, but they aren't quite flesh out yet. Also, these chapters take a bit to write. Thanks to the people who followed, faved and reviewed, it means a lot. Well then, I hope you enjoy this chapter of Oh ship!: A One Piece adventure.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Galley- La de dah part 1**

I knocked once on the door I was standing in front of, and a short blond woman opened the door. She was a delicate, middle-aged woman, with a floral print dress and a flower clip, and a few papers in her hand, and looked certainly out of place in the middle of the Galley-La shipyard. She smiled as she saw me.

"How can I help you?" she asked politely.

"This is the Galley-La lodging, right?" I asked, not wanting to ask her about a room if this was not the right place.

"Yes," she replied. I sighed in relief; I had not wanted to embarrass myself before my first day even began.

"I am one of the new apprentices and I think I am supposed to get a room here, or something," I said, unsure about these lodgings.

" Ah yes," she said. "We have 2 rooms for the new apprentices. Now," she looked down at one of the papers in her hands, "I have 2 rooms for an Althea Ross, and an Alex Weinreb. I'm guessing you're Althea?" She asked looking up at me.

"Yes." I replied.

"Nice to meet you, " she said, "My name is Ms. Direttore, the caretaker for the lodging. Your room is number 35, on the 3th floor or girls, floor. Here is the key." she handed me the key. "Oh, that seems heavy," she remarked, noticing that I was shifting my bag from hand to hand.

"No, I'm fine." I said, as I had only been shifting my bag from hand to hand because I did not like to stand still and I was prone to fidgeting.

"Nonsense," she said, waving her hand as if to indicate I was being silly, "A lady should never have to carry heavy loads. KAKU!" she turned her head and yelled, and in doing so affectively surprising me. I had not expected that out of such a nice, polite, and petite woman. Than again, I mused, she is the caretaker for a bunch of men. As I thought of this, I heard footsteps and I looked up to see a skinny man with a long square nose wearing a baseball cap with the words Galley-La embroidered on it.

"What can I do for you, Ms. Direttore?" Kaku said after he descended the stairs.

"Thank you Kaku." she pointed to me than him. "Kaku this is Althea. Althea this is Kaku. He is one of the senior shipwrights here." She turned back to Kaku. "I want you to bring this lady's bags up to her room. Room 35." He nodded and went to take the bag from my hand.

"I am fine." I protested and proceeded to sling my bag over my shoulder with little difficulty. "If you could just point me in the direction of my roo-"

"Kaku will carry your bags and show you to your room," she interrupted, and her voice told me that would be the end of that. And so, I handed my bag to Kaku and he led me up to the third floor and to the right. He stopped in front of a room that read 35, and he put the bag in front of the door.

"Well, this is your room. I hope to see you around the shipyard." He began his walk back before stopping and turning his head. "Before I forget to tell you, breakfast is at 7:00, lunch is at 13:00, and dinner is at 18:30. (A/n I am using 24-hour time just because I think a company like that would. To translate, 7:00 am, 1:00 pm, 6:30 pm) There will be a bell sounding ten minutes before each meal." With that, he turned and walked off to his side, leaving me to take a look at my room. I put the key in the lock and turned, making sure to put it in my pocket and to remember to get a key ring as to not lose it. I pulled the door open and looked around my decently sized room, not too big, but big enough for a single shipwright to use. It had a small bed with white sheets and a navy comforter, probably left over from the last person here, a small closet and some shelves, and a desk that looked to be for drawing plans and making blueprints. I checked the desk drawer and there was even some paper already and a few pencils. I checked my watch, and it said 15:57. Dinner was not until over half an hour. I had some time to unpack my new clothes that I bought, put my notebook that I took with me on the desk, and hid my bag in the very back of my closet, and so I did just that.

With nothing else to do after putting everything away, I sat on my bed, thinking about how my life had so radically changed in the course of only three days. I had run away from home, from a life of luxury and wealth. A life where I was destined to inherit the family business, a position I was trained my entire life to succeed. I ran away from comfort and left to travel to an unfamiliar city, a place I knew hardly anything about, to take the test to become a shipwright, a job I had wanted since I was a little girl, on the off chance I might make it even though I had never picked up a tool before. Now, I had an apprenticeship at the most prestigious shipwrighting company on the grand line. I lay back on my bed sighing. What was I going to tell my parents, that I stole money and ran away to become a shipwright? Should I lie and tell them I was kidnapped? I don't even know anymore. I lay down on my bed, and before I knew it, I was asleep.

* * *

I must have slept for a few hours because the next thing I knew, a bell was ringing, signaling dinner, if I remember correctly. I got up and made myself presentable by putting on a pair of white skinny pants and a navy long sleeve shirt, and brushing my hair. I opened my door slightly, and saw the other three girls on the floor exiting their rooms, two of them talking to each other and who were wearing skimpy, revealing outfits consisting of short shorts and a tank top with an open jacket covering their arms. I was just surprised that they were not cold. It was much colder then it was yesterday. Walking in front of them was a blonde lady wearing a black miniskirt and an orange collared long sleeve shirt, and holding a clipboard. I looked down at the outfit I was wearing. Was I the only girl not wearing a skimpy outfit?

I followed them down the three flights of stairs until we reached the bottom floor. To the right was a giant dining room for all of the Galley-La shipwrights in dock one, and to the left was a sort of common area for all of the shipwrights to hang out after dinner, that is if they did not go out. I did what everyone else was doing, and I followed them into the dining area. The dining area consisted of a salad bar, a cold food station, and a hot food station. I got some roasted fish and some salad with fruit and cheese in it; it looked actually really good, not what I was expecting. Next I looked around for a place to sit; groups talking animatedly filled most of the small circular tables. I saw one table with only one person sitting at it, though. It was scarf boy; the friend of the guy that believed that dock 4 was really good. He was the other new apprentice, and by the way he was acting, he was just as uncomfortable and unfamiliar here as I was. I went over to him and sat next to him at the table. He looked up from his food in surprise, and I smiled at him.

"You looked kind of uncomfortable here by yourself." I explained to him. He nodded in understanding and went back to picking at his food silently. I ate a bit of my chicken, and tried to strike up a conversation. "Are you the other new apprentice here?" I asked and he nodded, but he didn't reply. Wow, this guy was not talkative at all. It was like I had to force him to talk or something. Trying again, I asked him another question. "What is your name?" At least he had to answer that question.

"Alex Weinreb." he said, lifting his head up and answering me. "And yours?" he asked me.

"Althea Ross." I said and resumed eating my food. We were silent for a few minutes after that, but then everyone went silent. I looked up to see what was happening, and saw Iceburg in the front of the hall. He stood on top of a chair that that blond woman from my floor had pulled out. He stood commanding, with his dress shirt and grey slacks and his normal slicked back hairdo. (A/n yes I know this is different than what it is in the story, but this takes place 2 years before the story so deal with it) He cleared his throat for emphasis and began talking.

"So once again, we made it past the most stressful days of the year: Apprentice Weekend. I thank all of you at dock one for your help, I don't think I could have done it without you guys." The crowd cheered. "We have done many demos, taken many names, written many descriptions, and all in all, done a ton of work. We have seen some decent apprentices, some terrible ones, some so bad that it made you want to cringe," I saw Alex wince out of the corner of my eye. I gave him a look that asked what was wrong.

"My friend was that person." He whispered, and I realized that was the guy who I heard bragging. I chucked to myself. Serves him right for underestimating shipwrighting.

"-And we have seen some candidates that were excellent enough to make it as an apprentice here. Five were chosen, as always, " Iceburg paused. "But this time a record two apprentices out of the five new ones are to work here in dock one!" there was another roar from the crowd. I could tell I would like all these people, they seemed pretty easy to get along with and fun. "So, I would like for you to all to welcome our two newest members of Galley-La Company Dock One," He pointed at us. "Althea Ross and Alex Weinreb." He gestured for us to stand up, so we did, albeit nervously though. Continuing on, he finished his speech by saying, "The other three apprentices are Clark Sullivan at Dock 3, Marcus DeLatorre at Dock 4, and Martin Dodge at Dock 2. Now the primary 'masters' for these new apprentices will be Lulu," The burly man with tattoos and no shirt stood up, "-for Alex and Paulie for Althea." Paulie stood up, and then a few seconds later his eyes bulged out. Iceburg continued, apparently not seeing or caring about Paulie's expression. "Now like always, let us welcome our new apprentices with-"

"WHATT!" Paulie interrupted the last part of the speech. "Are you saying that I'M SUPPOSED TO BE NOT-SHAMELESS GIRL'S MASTER?!" he yelled and pointed to me.

"HEY!" I yelled at him. "That's not very nice you know! And neither was throwing me face first into the wall!" And that's how he remembered me?!

"Sorry, and I already apologized" He said turning his head to look at me and then turning to face Iceburg, putting his arm around Iceburg's shoulders and pulling him aside. I still heard the conversation though. Paulie doesn't exactly have an indoor voice, you know. "Look, you know I can't do this." He told Iceburg.

"And why not?" Iceburg asked. He had a small smirk on his face.

"Because you know that I haven't had an apprentice yet, I'm not ready for one."

"I'm sure you will be fine." He moved Paulie's arm off of himself, turned and started to walk away. "It will be a good experience for you both; you've never had an apprentice before and she's a first time shipwright." He opened the door and walked out, muttering something that sounded like "Now to tell that speech again six more times." Leaving Paulie and I to stare at the door closing behind him in shock.

I was the first to regain my senses and turned to Paulie. "Well, I guess I'll be learning a lot form you, I hope."

"Is that a challenge, Miss first time shipwright?" He replied, smirking.

"Oh it is so on." I said, and we shook hands.

* * *

I woke up to a bell similar to the one I remember signaling dinner, but ten times louder. I groaned, I was not exactly a morning person, but I got up anyway, knowing this was my first day as an apprentice at dock one. I still wanted more sleep though. I opened my closet and pulled out a green shirt and grey cargo shorts. Although it was freezing yesterday, it was back to sun today. Does the temperature always fluctuate like this? I picked up the clothes and exited my room, looking for the shared bathroom on the third floor for the girls. I found no one was there and I quickly got into the shower. I showered and got dressed, heading back to my room after that. I wrote in my journal, I know, kind of girly, but I had been taught to always keep a log of what happens just in case. The bell rang, I ate breakfast, and I showed up at the shipyard at exactly 8:00.

Paulie came a few minutes late, running from some people. He took his ropes out, swung them at the top of the door's arc and swung like a monkey on his ropes. He dropped in, running, and the gatekeeper guy closed the doors behind him. He stopped in front of me, and doubled over breathing heavily. I raised an eyebrow and he said three words. "Debt collectors, fangirls." I winced; those fangirls must be hard to deal with. He recovered and stood up straight, regaining his composure. "So, since you are a newbie at this, today will be all about learning about the tools and different types of wood. We will not be using them today, but beginning tomorrow, I will show you how to use all off them." And so, first Paulie pulled out his ropes, typical, and began explaining things.

Four hours later, and Paulie finally shut up for the day, finishing with a note of how that was the most he had ever talked in one sitting. I got up from sitting; we had both sat down after like ten minutes of this explaining, and stretched, my body aching from sitting in the same spot for so long. Even though it was only 12:00, we were both tired, and so we decided to call it a day after lunch. I was about to head back to the dorms for lunch, when suddenly, Kaku jumped down from who knows where and landed in front of me. I jumped backwards, surprised, and he laughed.

"Iceburg wanted you to meet him in his office after lunch, Althea." He said, and I nodded. He tipped his Galley-La hat at me and jumped off, leaving me in the dust again. I just accepted it and moved on, I would get used to it, though I need to get him to teach me that trick.

I started walking back to headquarters, and after grabbing lunch quickly, I sat down and ate lunch with Alex.

"So what's the hurry, he asked me, as I practically shoveled the food into my mouth at breakneck speed. I swallowed so I could answer.

"Iceburg wants me in his office after lunch. I have no idea why though." I said and shrugged. I couldn't have gotten in trouble this quickly, could I? I mean, I didn't do anything wrong today, did I? "I'm really confused as to why though."

He shrugged again, I mean he was not the most talkative person ever, but at least he said something. I knew he would warm up to me eventually though. At least I hoped.

I finished eating quickly and got up, putting my plate with all the other dirty dishes and heading upstairs to the fourth floor. The fourth floor was where Iceburg's private quarters were and where he had his office. Apparently it was so he could monitor the workers from his desk, but judging how his presence at the shipyard was not surprising to people, there was not much deskwork going on. I knocked on the double doors to his office and a voice from the inside said to come in. I grabbed the handle of the doors a bit nervously, and opened them slowly. Inside were two people, Kalifa, the blond lady on my floor that I learned the name to this morning, and Iceburg, sitting at his desk. I walked in the door, and stood, waiting for Iceburg to say something.

A few seconds passed before he waved at Kalifa dismissively saying, "Kalifa, please leave the room." Surprised, she nodded and walked out, but before she could get far, he stopped her and said, "And no eavesdropping this time." Without batting an eyelash at the accusation, or was it truth, she walked out of the room very dignified, and Iceburg motioned for me to sit down in one of the chairs.

"Lets cut to the chase he said, Althea Ross." He said, crossing his fingers. "Or should I say, Althea Afarri. I gasped and then shut my mouth, trying not to give my secret away any more than necessary.

"T-t-that's not, u-um, what I mean is-" I stuttered nervously, trying to think of something to say, but unfortunately my brain had just decided to leave and my diplomacy skills at this point were out the window. I wasn't sure how, or fi I was ever going to get out of this.

"You can't fool me, I mean you were here with your father not that long ago. I mean you were very good at talking with others, and your posture was impeccable." I blushed, I didn't know those teachings were so ingrained in me. I then realized what that this situation initialed.

"Please, you can't send me home, I've wanted this forever, and I am finally becoming a shipwright. You can't send me back there. You just can't." I was practically begging him. I would do anything to stay.

"Well, I know your father is a good customer here," He started and I sank back into the chair; he was going to send me back. "But…" I snapped my head up, surprised at his words, "It would be a waste of good talent to let one of the most promising apprentices I've seen here in a while go," I was barely containing my excitement "So, I am going to let you stay as an apprentice here at Dock One." I jumped out of my chair and hugged him. He was surprised but he smiled.

"Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!" I told him, and then I let go of him after I realized I was practically chocking him. I sat back in my chair embarrassed, but he just chuckled.

"I will notify you when your father arrives here, as he is one of our frequent customers, and you should stay out of the way when that happens. If he finds you it is your fault, though, okay?" He added. I nodded and then got up.

"Thank you again." I said.

"You are most welcome. And tell Paulie that just because he talked for a few hours, does not get him the right to not teach his apprentice for the rest of the day. " He said and I walked out, ready to tell Paulie that we had more training to do.

* * *

**So, that's the chapter, review if you can, the comments are always appreciated. This chapter covered the first day of apprenticeship, and the next will be a few weeks into it when the other shipwrights help pitching in. That will be a shorter chapter probably, and will basically be me just having fun with the other shipwrights, but it may change a little bit. **


	4. Chapter 4: Galley La-de-dah part 2

**Hi people! Just some background for anyone confused: this chapter takes place a few months after the last chapter, where she is not a total noob to shipwrighting now, and the other shipwrights pitch in to help train her. I just want to remind anyone who does not realize that this part of the story takes place two years before the Water 7 arc of One Piece, and Kaku, Lucci, Kalifa, and that bartender dude are not known to be evil. I also realize that the undercover agents would probably not just give away their secrets, but we waive the point, we look over it. (Anyone gets what that is from and you are officially cool). Just remember that. Sorry for the long intro, thanks to all my reviewers, followers, and favs, and now onto chapter 4. **

**Oh ship!: Chapter 4- Galley la-de-da part 2**

I picked up a large piece of wood, and hefted it over my shoulder. I had to get this wood back to Paulie so he could finish up with the mast of that ship Lucci, Kaku, and he were building for a client. He wanted me to grab some because, as usual, he was using me to grab wood and things so he could continue working.

I turned my head as I head a commotion. I groaned, knowing it was another crew of pirates refusing to pay for their work. I just turned back around and kept walking, knowing that the others would have it under control in a minute, and I wouldn't be of any help anyway, seeing as I haven't leaned to fight. I have gotten a bit stronger from all this lifting and practice stuff I had to do, but I couldn't even touch some of the pirates that came around here.

I heard another boom, meaning they had taken the cannon approach this time, because the stronger ones were off somewhere else. They did this sometimes, but the clean up from the cannonball was always arduous, so they tended not to do it unless they needed to. I just continued walking and gave the wood to Paulie. I started to get back to helping, but I saw Paulie stop, and so I got up, and turned around only to see Iceberg.

"I need all of the senior shipwrights to stop what they are doing, and come over here. Also I need Althea and Alex over here." He paused as we all gathered in a circle around him. Paulie tapped his foot impatiently with his arms crossed as we all waited for Kaku to get back from assessing a ship somewhere on the other side of the island, while Lucci stood impassively, and Alex fidgeted nervously, afraid he had done something wrong. Finally, we saw Kaku land right next to Paulie and tip his cap to Iceberg respectfully. Iceberg looked around once again to make sure we were all here, and then he began to speak.

"I have two things I need to talk to you all about our newest apprentices here. First, I think it is time that we start specialized training for our apprentices." I began to get really excited. I had ben waiting for this, because although I had been getting training, it was more an introduction to all the tools and some basic other things I would need to know. "First I want Kaku teaching them about mechanics and the new technologies utilized in newer Marine ships."

"Alright sir." Kaku replied.

"I want Lucci teaching them about saws, and cuts." Iceberg continued.

"Yes sir." Lucci's pigeon Hattori answered for him, as always.

"Answer him yourself, pigeon bastard, instead of that freaking bird!" Paulie yelled at Lucci, also as usual. I sighed, would those two ever stop?

Hattori was about to open his beak, but a look from Kalifa shut him up. "Can we continue?" she asked coldly, and everyone nodded, scared of Kalifa, even Iceberg.

"I want Paulie teaching them rigging and about masts, Lulu for blacksmithing, and Tilestone for caulking (a/n this is when you seal up holes in a ship). "

"Yes sir." They said in unison, Tilestone yelling the loudest.

"On another note, I have been noticing that the number of pirates refusing to pay for repairs and ships has increased. Although you senior shipwrights have been dealing with the pirates and getting them to pay, our new apprentices are at risk whenever there is a fight here in Dock 1. I am putting you all in charge of training them; I do not care what fighting style you teach them, nor how you divvy the training up amongst yourselves, I just want them able to protect themselves and this shipyard, understood?"

"Yes sir!" we all agreed loudly and he turned back to Kalifa.

"You have a two o clock appointment with the mayor of Fume Island and some of the sea train operators from there, and until then, you have paperwork in your office to go over and sign." she said already knowing what he wanted to know. Iceberg groaned but followed her as she led him back to headquarters. Even he knew better then to argue with Kalifa.

As he left, the other shipwrights starting to talk amongst themselves, leaving Alex and I to stand awkwardly while waiting for our masters to tell us what to do. They finally turned around after a little while.

Paulie was the first to speak up. "Listen up. We've decided to train you in periods of one month. Each shipwright will get two weeks to train the apprentices in their specialty, and then two weeks to drill the basics of their fighting style into them. The apprentices will them resume shipwright training with all of us and will then pick a fighting style that they want to use, and will be trained in that. Okay?" Alex and I nodded.

"I'm first." Kaku said, "We are going to learn about the newer types of ships, and motors. We start training tomorrow, so I want you two youngsters to skedaddle over her first thing in the morning" We nodded, at this point so used to his old man speech that we kind of just ignored it. "Well, its high time we got back to building this ship, and all. Snap to it you all." And with that we all resumed work on the sloop that was commissioned by the marines.

I was woken up the next day at four o clock in the morning by someone knocking at my door. I groaned, and pulled myself out of bed to answer the door. I pulled the door open and I was greeted by the smiling face of Kaku. Kaku was the only guy allowed up to the girl's floor, because we all knew Kaku would never do anything wrong.

"Good morning!" he said brightly. I groaned; it was too early to be up. " We begin training in fifteen minutes, so get ready and then meet me downstairs by the entrance to dock one." I shut the door in his face, pissed at him for getting me up this early, and when I didn't get my sleep, I became pretty grumpy. But, because I knew I needed the training, I pulled on a pair of sweatpants, a long sleeve athletic shirt, and a hoodie, because it was cold in water seven in the mornings. I dragged myself down the stairs and outside to find Alex in a similar state. He gave me a tired wave, and then his hand dropped back down to his side. He didn't bring a sweatshirt and was wearing short sleeves, so he was shivering, and I was tempted to give him mine; I had a long sleeve shirt on so I would be fine without it.

Kaku suddenly fell from the sky, landing on his feet, and dusted himself off. He turned to face us and began to speak, "So, today is the day we begin training for the next two weeks. Instead of doing the two weeks of shipwright training first, we will begin physical training today. I will be training you in the art of the sword." He pulled out four swords and showed them to us. "I use a four sword style, or Yontoryu. I will be training both of you in the art of swordsmanship, as well as increasing your physical capabilities. Alright?"

"Alright." We said, still groggy from lack of sleep.

"We will start with our daily morning run-," He said.

"Wait a minute . . . daily Run?!" I asked

"Yes, DAILY run around the island." And he turned around and began a light jog, as if he expected us to follow. I looked at Alex who shrugged at me.

"It can't be that bad, it's only our first day of training. I'm sure he'll go easy on us.

Two hours later, Kaku had proven Alex very wrong. Kaku had made us climb down all the stairs from dock one to the lowest level of the city, run around the first level of the city, run up the first set of stairs, then run around that level, and that continued until we made it all the way back up to dock one. I would have been pissed with Kaku if I weren't so tired.

"Yeah, going easy on us for our first day of training." I said between pants as we rested in front of headquarters. I had long taken of my sweatshirt and it was hanging around my waist, while the sleeves of my shirt were pushed up as far as they could go, and my shirt was soaked through with sweat. Alex's shirt was also soaked through, but he seemed a bit cooler then me because he had a short sleeve shirt and shorts on.

Kaku on the other hand had not even broken a sweat. "That's it for our warm-up. I'll let you shower and change and then I want you to meet me back over here after breakfast." He told us and then opened the doors. I collapsed on the ground.

"WARMUP! Dam you Kaku!" I yelled from my position on the floor.

"I heard that." He appeared at my side. I jumped, not expecting that, and apologized to Kaku, about that. I then pulled myself upright and up the flights of stairs and to my room, and getting myself ready for breakfast.

One shower and one meal later, I was feeling a lot more energized. My muscles still ached a bit, but taking a hot shower and resting for a bit really helped. I arrived at the meeting place before Alex and Kaku, and waited for them to get there. I saw Kaku approaching first, and behind him, Alex was walking towards me too.

"Its good to see that you youngsters are motivated for training," Kaku said brightly." He stopped in front of me, and waited for Alex to catch up. "Now we'll start swordsmanship training for today." He pulled out four sword-like saws and handed them to me.

"Huh?!" Alex complained. "Why don't I get to use the saws?" he asked, disappointedly. Kaku only smiled at him.

"I would give you them if I trusted you with swords." Alex looked distraught.

"Wait! You don't trust me with swords?!"

"I'm only joking, so don't get your knickers in a twist. I would give you them if I had an extra set of saws. I don't just have eight of them lying around for the both of you."

"Bu-"

"And a gentleman always lets a lady go first." Kaku finished. "You will have your turn after Althea. For now though, I want you to start with this strength training menu I have here." Kaku pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Alex. Alex looked it over and his eyes widened.

"ALL THIS with ten pound weights!?" Alex exclaimed.

"Give me that." I said to Alex, pulling the paper out of his hands. I can't believe it. Kaku wants us to that much!

"Don't worry, Althea will have to do this also, after she finishes her lesson with me. You won't be the only one doing this." Kaku said calmly.

"Are you TRYING to kill us?" Alex yelled.

"On the contrary, this training is so that you don't get killed. I thought that we had discussed this." Kaku replied to the rhetorical question.

"I guess we should get started then." And Kaku proceeded to tell me about how I was to hold the saws. Kaku took two of the saws and showed me how he fought; he used two swords and a technique that allowed him to make compressed air blades with his leg to slice people. However, we both knew that I was not going to learn that anytime soon with the level I was at. Apparently, Kaku had a solution. After jumping back off to his room, he came back with an instruction manual for a different four-sword style and handed it to me. After that, he called Alex back over to ask him a question.

"What type of sword style would you like to learn?" he asked. Alex shrugged.

"I am not a huge fan of swords in general, but if I had to, I'd probably pick a two sword style." Kaku nodded.

"Okay, I can just teach you the kicking part of my technique. Two sword style and hand to hand combat." Kaku smiled at Alex. "Now you can go back to your training menu. And don't forget." Kaku's eyes darkened. "I am always watching, so make sure you don't skip anything." He smiled again. "Alright?" Alex nodded hastily, and Alex ran back to what he was doing. Note to self: do not mess with Kaku.

I looked over the training manual in my hands, and went over to the side to sit down and read it. Let's see, hold the swords in between my index and middle fingers and between my ring and pinky fingers. I read a bit further on basic swings and basic techniques, and got up ready to try them. I picked up the saws, and dropped the two in my right hand to check the book to see if I was doing it right. I took a few swings with each of my hands, and then put down the saws, rubbing my arms. These saws Kaku had given me were tiring to swing after a bit. In fact, they seemed heavier than the normal saws we used back at the shipyard.

"Not so light are they, Kaku said. I turned my head to look at him. He took the book from my hands, and he flipped through it quickly. He then muttered to himself and picked up all four saws according to what the book had said. He then showed me a few practice swings. I was surprised that he could do that so quickly. I must have showed it on my face, because he chuckled.  
"This was the style I used before I modified it to the one I use today. I just needed a refresher."

He showed me a few moves, and handed the saws back to me for me to try. I practiced a few more swings, but my turn soon ended, so I handed the saws off to Elias, and he gave me the training menu. I groaned and went off to the side to begin training with the weights.

I was woken up the next day by someone knocking at my door. "I'll be out in a few minutes." I yelled to Kaku, and I heard him move on. I got out of bed, and stretched, wincing because my muscles were still sore from yesterday. I pulled on a pair of athletic shorts and a tank top; I was not going make the same mistake as did the day before. I ran down the stairs, not wanting to be late, and found Alex and Kaku standing there waiting.

"We are going to start with the same run that we did yesterday, but first, I want you to put these on." He gave Alex and I some armbands and things to put around our ankles. I bent over to put the ones on my legs on and was surprised. "They're weighted, aren't they?" I asked Kaku, and he nodded.

"We will be doing the same exercises that we did yesterday with these one pound weights. We will be increasing the weight by one pound each day for the whole time that you are being trained by me and the other shipwrights, so I expect you to skedaddle out here every day bright and early, you hear me."

And so, Kaku contained to train us in the same fashion for the next two weeks, but it did get easier as time went by.

Over the course of the two weeks after that, Alex and I learned how to appraise ships, and how to make and run motors for ships. This was new technology used by the marine ships to pass through the calm belts, because of the lack of wind, and we learned how coating ships in sea stone would not affect the devil fruit users inside, but would keep sea kings from noticing it. We learned how to assess the condition of a ship, and the best ways to repair a ship. We still had our morning training. I loved doing all of this training, at least most of it. I still hated the morning runs; I did not like waking up in the morning.

One day during our daily run, I grew annoyed at Kaku. I was now at the stage where the run was not that tiring anymore, although I still had some soreness afterward. This was not because I hated running, I was jealous of the way Kaku was able to jump through the air so effortlessly, instead of running on the ground like the two of us; okay, I hated running.

"How do you even do that?" I asked him.

"Well…, it takes a lot of practice and leg strength." Kaku scratched the back of his neck. "I don't think that you have a sufficient amount yet." Darn it, I deflated. "But," I looked back up at Kaku who had stopped on the roof of a building, and seemed to be contemplating something.

"But what?" I asked.

"But, maybe I can teach you a different technique." he said slowly.

"What technique?" I said slyly, wanting him to finish his though.

"Its called Ge- I mean… air jumping… that's the word, yeah." He said, catching himself from saying something. It was kind of suspicious how he said that, but I ignored it.

"So… how does this air jumping work anyway, Kaku?"

"Well, you wont get it immediately, but, do you know how there are different particles in the air at any given time?"

"Yeah, like oxygen, and dust." I had learned about that stiff when I was being tutored as part of my trader training.

"It's basically stepping on those particles. You have to be very quick, though, or else you will fall after the particles disperse." He explained.

"That makes sense, but how would it even be done?" I asked.

"Like I said, a lot of practice and physical. It comes down to that." he said. "Give it a try." And so, I tried to jump, while keeping that in mind, but all I managed was a second longer in the air, and certainly no jumping again. I was disappointed, but Kaku just laughed. "It isn't that easy, you know. It takes a very long while to master. It took me a few years even."

"GET A MOVE ON YOU TWO. I CAN'T BELIEVE I AM SAYING THIS, BUT YOU TWO ARE LAGGING BEHIND." I heard Alex yell from ahead of us. Kaku and I glanced at each other and laughed, but we did get moving again.

After our run ended, and we had eaten breakfast, I went to shower, as I usually did. However, Kalifa was in there, so I decided to just change my clothes and head back out a bit earlier than I usually did for lessons. It wasn't like we were doing sword training after this; I usually practiced after dinner, and I could afford to take one later. We were only doing mechanics today, after all.

I headed towards the shipyard, but I stopped when I heard people talking in hushed voices

"How could you teach them the six powers?! Only the CP9 know those techniques." I heard a voice that was unfamiliar. What was the CP9?

"Well, actually, I only taught them one of them the basics of Geppu (a/n sky walk/air jumping) and Rankyaku (a/n the leg swords. If you want more information, there is an article on the six powers on the one piece wiki). It's not like I'm full out telling them that were in the CP9. No one even knows that we exist anyway. I mean, they grasped it pretty quickly, we could make them new agents, or something like that." The second voice said

"When you are training them, just don't train them in the six powers." A feminine voice said.

"Well, how else do I train them? That is the only way we have ever been trained." The second voice said again.

"He does have a good point." A more deep and serious voice commented.

"Fine, train them how you want, but I do not want them finding out about us and our plans for Water Seven."

"Well I was pretty sure that that much was obvious, but okay." The second voice said.

"CP9 dismissed." The deeper voice stated. I flattened myself out against the wall, so that when they came out, they would not see me; but as I waited, no one emerged from the space. I stuck my head out a bit to see, but no one was there. That was weird; there was only one exit from that place. I remained on guard, but there was nothing I could do, so I just continued on to the shipyard.

Today was our last day training with Kaku, and I had requested that he teach me about this "air jumping" that he was telling me about. We were also finishing up on the leg sword technique. I reached the dockyard and saw Paulie next to Kaku talking very animatedly.

I walked up to Kaku and Paulie, and asked them, "Where's Alex?"

"What? No good morning to your new teacher?" Paulie said.

"New teacher?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I get to train you two for the next four weeks. I'm looking forward to it." He told me and cracked his knuckles.

"Well, its not quite your turn, I still have one day left with the two of them, and speaking of which," Kaku corrected Paulie, and then pointed behind me. "I think that's Alex running over here." I turned around to see Alex sprinting towards us at top speed. It took him about five more seconds to get to us, and he panted as he stopped next to me.

He lifted up his head and pointed to Paulie. "What's he here for anyway?" he asked me.

"New teacher starting tomorrow." I told him. He nodded in that way he always did when he wasn't sure what to say next, and ended the conversation.

Kaku suddenly clapped his hands together to get our attention. "Now, we should get practicing, after all it is our last day together." He said, and we split off, Kaku with me and Alex off working out for the first half of the day, for one last day before we changed mentors to Paulie.

**I hope you enjoyed this, and sorry for the wait. School is drawing to a close, and all the teachers are laying the projects and tests on me. I tried my best to get this out as soon as I could, but I had to focus on schoolwork. I had originally planned for this chapter to encompass all the mentors, but I just kept writing more about Kaku. Please review and comment, it really makes my day, and any constructive criticism really helps. Also, to the anonymous reviewer that gave me good advice on my last chapter, thank you for your input. I fixed the problem and I will try not to make the mistake again. **


	5. Chapter 5: Galley-La-de-dah part 3

**Hello readers. I am sorry for how long this took. My 9****th**** grade just finished, and I had to complete a history paper and a lot of other projects. It came out to be around 3000 words and ten pages double-spaced, which is less than one of these chapters. That's actually kind of sad when I think about it. Anyway…. This chapter takes place directly after the last chapter. This chapter will continue with the training. As always, I thank all who reviewed, faved, or followed this story; it means the world to me. I hope you enjoy! I also dedicate this chapter to Rob Lucci, whose birthday was last Monday, June 2, Jabra, whose birthday was Thursday, June 5, and Fukuro, whose birthday was Friday, June 6.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Galley-La-de-dah part 3**

_May 14_

_Today was the last day that Kaku was to teach us. He gave us one last workout, and assed our sword skills. He said that I was progressing quite nicely, and that I should keep at it. I actually ended up liking it a lot more than I thought I would. I had thought as myself as a more hand-to-hand fighter before this, but I think I will continue with swordsmanship. Tomorrow is the first day that Paulie will be teaching us. I wonder if he will start with fighting or shipwrighting techniques. Speaking of techniques, I wonder what techniques those people in the alley were talking about. What were they again? Gesso. Rhy...I don't even know. How can you teach someone a technique without them knowing what it is? And what is this CP9, anyway? I know about the Cipher Pols in the marines, but it only goes from CP1 up to CP8. I must have just heard the name wrong. And what are their plans for Water 7? Who are they?_

I closed my logbook and put it in the drawer in my desk. I kept all my logbooks since I got there in that drawer. I had currently gone through 2 full logbooks and this was my third. I usually write pretty long entries, usually longer than this one, so they filled up fast. I pushed the drawer closed hopped in bed, having already showered and changed, and turned off the lamp next to my bed, but I couldn't fall asleep. The whole CP9 thing or whatever was running through my head. What could they want here? Besides from our talented shipwrights here, there wasn't really anything of tremendous value on this island. I don't even know what they could want, but it doesn't sound good.

* * *

It took me a good four hours to fall asleep, and I was not in a good mood when someone woke me up early. I opened the door to find Kaku smiling.

"Its 4:30, time for our daily run." He said brightly and handed me 30 pound weighted arm and leg bands. "Here are your weights. I'll be waiting for you outside." He started to walk away but I grabbed his arm and gripped it tightly.

"I thought we were done with your hellish training." I growled at him, not happy to be woken up early with only two hours of sleep. I was seriously not in the mood for this.

"Just because I am not officially training you, does not mean you are done with my training. There are still a few hours before breakfast that we can use to train." He smiled and walked out. I groaned, but pulled on my running pants, and trudged down the stairs and outside. I lifted my head and saw Alex equally tired.

"You thought you were done with this?" He asked and I nodded weakly.

"You too?" I asked, the cool morning air starting to wake me up a bit. He laughed weakly and scratched the back of his neck.

"Try staying up till two in the morning because your friend dragged you out to party because you had, I quote, 'not gotten any action for at least a month now.' He ended dragging me around for the whole night from bar to bar, and though I didn't drink, he was drunk the entire night and was causing trouble."

I winced and strapped on the leg and arm weights for our run, Alex doing the same. We ran our usual course and I took my shower as usual. I ate breakfast and headed over to the usual training spot when I realized that we were meeting with Paulie in front of the new dorms they were building because the company had started to become quite large. The current dorms would serve more as the official headquarters while everyone's rooms would be in the new dorms. I wonder what we will be learning today? I asked myself as I headed over.

I arrived at said meeting place and saw neither Paulie nor Alex. I looked around and was about to walk away when I heard a yell from above. I looked up to see Paulie and Alex on a platform that was suspended on ropes from the giant central crane of dock one. The next thing I saw was a bunch of ropes falling down towards me. With a flick of his wrist, he flung me up and onto the platform. However, I landed on my face.

"Sorry Al," Paulie said sheepishly. I got up and rubbed my face, and saw Alex trying to refrain from laughing.

"This isn't the first time I've landed on my face because of you Paulie. " I told him angrily. I looked around and asked, "Why are we up here anyway?"

"Well, I needed to show you two how to tie ropes and decided this was a good spot."

"Why is that?"

"Well, with the everyone working on the renovations down there, I didn't want to be interrupted so we are up here."

"Why don't we just go inside?"

"We would still probably get roped into helping, and so we are up here. Any more questions." He said while giving us a look that told us not to ask anything more lest he throw us off this platform. We stayed silent for a second, and he nodded" I trust neither of you are afraid of heights."

"You ask us that after you bring us up here?" Alex said sarcastically.

"Shut up." He said and plopped down where he was; effectively rocking the platform we were on. Alex and I waited for the platform to settle down before sitting down ourselves. "The first thing you need to learn about rigging is the knots, and so, that's what I'm teaching you today. Got it?" He asked us and we nodded. With that, Paulie proceeded to teach us about all the different types of knots and how to tie them.

When the dinner bell rang, Paulie let us go, but not without handing us each a stack of papers.

"What's this?" Alex asked, confused.

"That's your homework." Paulie answered. "I want you to memorize all the knots that I just showed you how to make. You need to know their names, uses, and how to tie them."

"What!?" I said. "You can't give us that much work!"

"I am your teacher for the next four weeks on orders from Iceburg; so yes, I can." He said and quickly wrapped his ropes around us to let us down. Yet again, I ended up face planting, and I dropped all my papers. Alex tried to cover a laugh, but ended up bursting out laughing.

"Alex, it really isn't that funny…." I told him, my face becoming red with anger, embarrassment, and the mark of the ground. He just continued to laugh loudly.

"But, it is Althea." He continued to laugh and doubled over. "But it is."

I looked up at Paulie and gave him the middle finger.

"You just had to drop me on my face again."  
"Yeah… whoops." He said from up on the platform.

I tried to air jump up to the platform, but as I had just learned about it yesterday, it did not really work. Alex was still recovering from his fir of laughter and I just shook my head at him, sighed, and began to pick up all the papers around me that had fallen. I headed back towards my room so I could put the notes away before dinner.

* * *

I woke up the next morning to the wakeup bell to find myself on my desk with the notes scattered around me. I had apparently been reviewing my notes when I fell asleep. I checked my clock. 6:15. Why hadn't Kaku come to wake me up for my morning run? I got dressed quickly and began to review the notes a bit more before breakfast. I bounded down the stairs, having had my first full night of sleep since Kaku began running with us, and got in line. While I was in line, I saw Kaku.

"Why didn't you wake me up today for the run?" I asked him.

"I noticed you light was on pretty late last night, and I thought you might need the sleep." He replied and then whispered under his breath, "And I couldn't wake you up this morning when I came in anyway."

"Hey, I heard that! If you want to blame someone about it, blame Paulie. He gave us that stupid homework anyway. Having us memorize every single knot is way too much work."

"But aren't there around one hundred or so different knots?" He said confusedly.

"Exactly." I said and he dropped the subject as we parted ways to sit at our usual tables. I ate heartily that morning; because I had stayed up so late, I had used up a lot of energy and needed to replenish that energy.

After breakfast, Alex and I headed outside to go meet Paulie, but the moment we took a step out the door, ropes had picked me up and carried me up to the roof. I actually landed on my feet this time; however, a few seconds later, Alex came flying towards the very spot where I was currently standing. Seconds later, I was laying face first on the ground with Alex on top of me.

"There's the faceplant I was waiting for." I grumbled and pushed Alex off of me. "How much do you weigh anyway?" I asked Alex.

"Oh, around 135 pounds."

"That was a rhetorical question."

"Oh..."

"So why are we up here anyway? I thought we were going up on the platform again."

Paulie scratched his head sheepishly and said. "They saw us up there yesterday, so we needed to move here today." He regained his composure and he asked, "So did you guys memorize the knots?" And with that, he proceeded to test us on the types of knots. He told us a usage of a knot, and we had to name and reproduce the knot.

* * *

Over the course of the next two weeks, our memories and fingers were tested to the limits as Paulie taught us rigging. All of the knots had to be memorized, all the types of rigging had to be learned, and we had to practice knots until our fingers literally bled. Kaku actually gave us a break from our morning exercises so that we could stay up late to memorize all the information that was being thrown at us. I was actually excited to be taught how to tie knots in midair, so that my fingers would never again have to go through the torture of tying a knot in less than three seconds, the time limit set for us by Paulie. I started running and training with Kaku again in the mornings, though, now that we would have more time now.

* * *

On the first day of combat training, I walked out and started to scale the walls of headquarters. We decided on the roof for our permanent meeting spot, as no one had noticed us yet up there, even though they did try to rope us into helping construct the new headquarters. Even though it had been only around two weeks since they started building it, with almost all the shipwrights from dock one, whose skills with carpentry and building were undeniable, working on it, it was almost done. Alex, Paulie, and I figured that we wouldn't need to hide while we work for much longer. The first thing I noticed was that Alex wasn't there. He always sat with me during meals and came out to practice with me, but he wasn't there today, but I had just figured he had something important to do and had to eat breakfast without me.

"Where's Alex?" I asked Paulie, who had only just realized I had arrived.

"He's sick with a bad cold, or something. I don't know the details, but I was told he has a high fever and won't be here for a few days."

"Oh," I said, mentally noting that I should go see him, or at least send a get-well card or something. "So we are starting combat training today, right?"

"Well… actually we have one more day left of rigging left-," I groaned, already feeling the pain in my fingers, and Paulie smiled and laughed. "No, we're done. Today we 're starting combat training." He opened his denim jacket to reveal a set of two ropes. He took them out and he was about to hand them to me when he suddenly pulled back.

"What's the matter?"

"You need a long sleeved shirt and a jacket to use the ropes. And since you are not wearing one, you need to go change."

"Really, I can't just wear the jacket?"

"Well, if you can if you want rope burn." He answered and pointed towards my room. "Now go get changed, and put on a jacket." I moved across the roof and climbed down the side of the building so I could just slip into my room. I had conveniently left the window open and I just swung on my windowsill into my room. I changed into a long-sleeved black shirt, grabbed a dark green colored jacket with looser sleeves, so that the ropes had room if I was going to use the same technique as Paulie, and I climbed back up the side of the building. I walked back over to him and he handed me the ropes.

"So how do I do this?" I said trying to slide the ropes up my arms, but horribly failing

"First, put on your jacket and put your rolled up ropes in the inside flaps, one on each side. Now pull the bottom of each rope through its sleeve until about an inch sticks out from the sleeves. That's what I mean when I say load the ropes."

He jumped off the building, before landing on his feet and motioning for me to do the same. I did as he asked, and met him on the ground.

"Now, you're just going to be learning the basics of using ropes in combat for these two weeks. If you want to continue after that, I'll teach you more advanced techniques, but for today we're just doing vertical targeting." He pointed at the edge between the roof and the building. "See that edge there, the one between the roof and the building."

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I want you to try to hit it with the ropes. You can hit it anywhere along that edge, but you need to hit it to move on with the training. You'll probably get it later today or something. In the meantime, I'm going to get a drink. I'll be back in a few hours or so." And with a wave, he turned around, and he walked off leaving me staring at his receding figure. How could he just go and walk off like that?! I'll master this before he comes back! That'll show him! With that thought in mind, I threw the ropes for the first time.

* * *

Around two hours later, Paulie came back from the bar with a tankard in his hand. He was walking unevenly and stumbling, and his face was red. He was obviously drunk?

"How many drinks have you had?" I asked him as he fell on his face. "Paulie?" I asked again when he didn't answer.

"Oh only 5 drinks." I frowned at this. Only 5 drinks and he was reduced to a stumbling mess. I guess he was a lightweight. I laughed to myself and filed away that piece of information. It might come in handy later on. He laughed drunkenly and asked, "Sooo, how'd you do with the ropes. I bet you couldn't hit it once." Now that made me angry. He didn't think I could do it; well he was going to be surprised.

"Watch me." With that, I flung the ropes in an arc so that both tips of the ropes hit the edge perfectly. I pulled them back and then threw them again, hitting the same spot. I turned back to see Paulie's reaction and I was happy when I saw him with his jaw dropped.

"Y-y-yo-you ju-just, ho-how? It took me two days to figure that out, and you-you just, WHAT!?"

"It really took you a few days to do that?" I asked him, it hadn't seemed too hard. I was stuck for a good hour and a half, but once you figured out the trick, it wasn't that hard. It was really all in the wrist, and you just had to line up your hand with your target and throw in an arc proportional to the distance you were covering. It really wasn't a two-day thing.

"Hit the third window to the left on the second floor for me."

He said, suddenly and unexplainably sober now. How…I don't even…. I did what he asked and threw it, but it only barely skimming the right side this time.

"Sorry, I can't control it that well yet."

"Still, that's really good for a few hours. I expected you to get it in a day or two, but that is… you're a natural at this." He considered that for a moment and then continued, We'll probably get to rope tying in midair in a three or four days, which is a few days earlier than I planned."

"Hit the forth window to the right on the third floor." He started to give me windows to aim for on the building and we continued training like that.

* * *

During the next four days, Paulie showed me the best way to get the arc that I needed while throwing the ropes, and the easiest way to throw the ropes. Apparently, the trick I had used was actually the harder way and put more strain on your wrist. After the three days of learning how to do basic aiming, Paulie began to teach me the much harder side of using ropes in combat: how to knots in midair. He told me that that part of the training would take up the rest of the two weeks. We began the basics of rope tying on the fifth day of combat training, June 1st, with the eight most basic knots according to Paulie: the square knot, the half hitch, the overhand knot, the half knot, the sheet bend, the figure eight knot, the slip knot, and the noose. (A/n I don't have the time to explain them here so it you want to know what they are, go look them up on the Internet.) Paulie wasn't kidding when he said that the first part was much easier compared to this section of training. Even though we only went over the first eight, I could only get four of them really good, and the rest only halfway decent.

On June, Alex decided to join us again for practice. I had come out to the normal place in the back of the old dorms, now the new offices for Galley-La because the new dorms had been completed and all the furniture was moved. The bathrooms were nicer and the rooms were also bigger in the new dorms. When I did, I found Alex there with Paulie, who seemed to be thinking.

"What's the matter?" I asked Paulie when I was walking towards them. He lifted his head, only just then realizing I was there, and waved me over.

"I don't know how this whole thing with Alex is going to work. He's missed the beginning days, and I don't think he can catch up to where we are now. He shook his head and shrugged. " I just don't know what we should have him do."

"He COULD train with Lucci." I heard a higher pitched voice say behind me. I turned around to see Hattori and Lucci.

"What would you know, you pigeon bastard?!" Paulie started his usual argument with Lucci, but then paused and thought for a moment. "You know, for a pigeon bastard, that isn't such a bad idea." He turned to Alex. "I think that's what we'll do. Alex, you go train with Lucci on hand to hand. You said you were more interested in hand to hand more anyway. And lucci is your next teacher so it all works out." Then he learned in and whispered in Alex's ear. "ALL RIGHT, Alex you go train with Lucci and Althea and I will train over here." Alex and Lucci walked off, and I was left with Paulie who was smiling deviously.

"What did you tell him? And why are you smiling so weirdly…?" I asked him.

"Oh nothing, much. Just to bring Lucci to the bar tonight. Oh, and we aren't training today."

"Why not?"

"You'll find out. Okay, lets take a field trip to the bar."

"You can't just skip training to go to the bar. I'll tell Iceburg." I threatened.

"If I told you I had a valid reason, would you believe me?"

"Tell me what it is and I might." He sighed.

"Lucci's birthday is today and the others told me that it was my turn to plan the party. So we are going to Blueno to see if we can have it at his bar."

"I'm surprised that you actually said yes to doing that."

"Well, they threatened me. They said they would get Blueno to ban me from his bar."

"Of course. So who is this Blueno anyway?"

"You'll see." And we started walking.

Paulie led me through the streets of Water 7 until we reached the bar called "Blueno's Bar." It was a small building made of golden brown wood, had a red sign on the front, and had a curved roof with horns. He pushed the door open and we both walked inside. It was a decent sized bar, with about eight to ten tables with chairs filled with people eating or drinking alcohol this early in the day. There were a few pictures here and there, and bottles lined the wall behind the bar, where many people were already sitting. A large man with a yellow shirt with purple polka dots on it and black hair that sort of resembled a pair of horns was serving a lady with a pink cape, yellow bushy hair, and a funny mushroom-like hat.

"Hey Blueno!" Paulie yelled into the bar. Everyone turned around to see who it was, then laughed and turned back around as if it was normal to see Paulie there, which it probably was.

"Hey Paulie." The man at the bar looked up and replied. "What can I get for you?" Paulie plopped down at the bar.

"The usual."

"And for her?"

"Oh," He turned back to me. "I guess I should introduce you two. Althea this is Blueno." He pointed to the bartender.

"Nice to meet you," I nodded towards him.

"Likewise." Blueno nodded back towards me. "How old are you anyway? Can you even drink?" He asked me.

"I'm sixteen, so to answer your question, not legally, no."

"Oh, shut it." Paulie said, picking up the drink Blueno had just poured for him. "I was drinking when I was fourteen. You can have a drink or two." He told me.

"Like I said, not legally." I countered, and sighed as I saw that he had already downed his first glass and had handed his glass to Blueno for more. His face was already a bit pink from his first glass and that was not a good sign.

"So why are you here this early?" Blueno asked Paulie, and then handed me a glass of water. I nodded my thanks and he continued. "I mean yesterday you told me you left while she was training or something, but aren't you not supposed to be here."  
"It's June 2nd, and I got saddled with party duty." Blueno nodded in understanding. "Oh yeah, is it okay if I hold the party here today?"

"Sure, if you still pay for whatever you guys eat and drink." Blueno replied.

"Well, that was quick. Now we just wait for six." Paulie said. I heard a laugh that sounded like someone cackling. It was the person that Blueno was serving when we came in.

"Oh hey Granny Kokoro. Didn't see you there."

"Nice to see you too Paulie."

"I guess Aqua Lagoona is gonna be soon if you're here." Paulie said.

"Yep!" Kokoro said.

"How do you two know each other?" I asked them.

"He's my drinking buddy sometimes." She replied than turned back to Paulie. "So who's coming to the party?"

"Iceburg, Kaku, Alex, the other Dock One apprentice, Tilestone, the rest of the foremen and others from dock one. The usual for Lucci's birthday." I heard Blueno sigh and mutter under his breath.

"Great… now I'm going to have to rebuild the bar again." I chuckled a bit at that and Blueno gave me a small smile.

I sipped at my water and then asked the others, "By the way, what is aqua lagoon?" The others stared at me, and I added, "I'm from Seagia, I came here by sea train."

"Aqua Lagoona is a really big storm that brings a big wave that goes up to around the second level of the city usually. Most people evacuate up to the docks, which allow people to take refuge in. " Paulie took a gulp of his drink. "But you know, that kinda explains a lot actually, like why you never had any experience with shipwrighting before becoming an apprentice here."

"That's mighty impressive." Kokoro told me and laughed. "I wonder who judged your work during the test."

"It was Iceburg actually." I told her.

"You must have a lot of talent."

"Well, not really."

"Stop putting yourself down like that, for Iceburg to take you on as an apprentice without any prior experience is a big thing. Kind of reminds me of when Tom took on Iceburg and Cutty Flam on as an apprentice."

"Who's Cutty Flam?" I asked, and she launched into stories of Iceburg and hos fellow apprentice around twenty years ago.

* * *

It was around six when people began to show up. The first ones to show up were Kalifa and Iceburg, glad to have an excuse to take a break from work, who took the seat between Granny Kokoro and me.

"Nice to sea you again, Iceburg." Kokoro said and Iceburg smiled, and then ordered a drink from Blueno.

"Are you up for another drinking contest." He asked her, his eyes showing that he was joking.

"Well, Paulie sure isn't." I said, and pointed to said shipwright who was passed out on the floor because he had been drinking all day.

Iceburg laughed, and Granny Kokoro chucked and said, "He always was quite the lightweight."

"Uh huh." Iceburg agreed and they touched glasses before the both gulped down their drinks barely buzzed. Unfortunately the next two to arrive were Alex and Lucci.

"I tried to stall him but it didn't work. And this was supposed to be a big surprise and all." Alex moped. Lucci walked in perfectly calm and sat next to me.

He asked me, "It's my birthday again, isn't it?"

"Bingo." I replied. "So much for our surprise party." Suddenly the door burst open and I heard a voice laugh.

"This enough of a surprise, eh Lucci?" We all turned around to see two people. One was a guy that walked kind of hunched over, had black hair in a ponytail that was sectioned off by hair ties, and a scar over his left eye. The other one was an oddly shaped, round man with a zipper for a mouth and green hair.

"Jabra, Fukuro, what are you two doing here?" Lucci asked, seemingly calm but with a small disturbance in his voice; but for him, this meant he was extremely shocked.

"You're not going to celebrate without us are you?" The one with the ponytail said.

"I was actually. I thought you two had work at Shabody Archipelago. And where's Kumadori?" Lucci replied.

"We finished the job, and Kumadori said he wanted to do some sightseeing. I thought we'd drop in to say hi, and to celebrate your birthday as well. Drinks are on you by the way." Jabra said with a laugh.

"You just wanted the free food, didn't you Jabra? And you probably dragged Fukuro here with you." Blueno contributed, while still cleaning the bar glasses.

"I'm hurt. I can't believe you forgot that my birthday is on the fifth and Fukuro's is on the sixth. We came to celebrate our birthdays with you." Jabra said, and at that moment Kaku walked in.

"I heard there was a party for- JABRA, FUKURO? WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE?" Kaku yelled, clearly very surprised.

"They finished with their job at Shabody, their birthdays are in a few days, and Jabra, or whatever he is called came for free food that Lucci will probably end up paying for even though its his birthday." I butted in before anyone could say anything else. Kaku nodded and I asked them, "Now how exactly do you all know each other."

The guy named Fukuro unzipped his mouth and he replied, "Jabra, Blueno, Fukuro, Lucci, and I trained together when we were little." And then zipped his mouth up again.

"I was stronger than all of you guys back then." Jabra bragged.

"No, I'm pretty sure that Lucci was stronger than you, Jabra." Kaku replied with a grin.

"Well, I'm still stronger than you Kaku." Jabra replied.

"Care to test to that statement." Kaku said, and they both smiled competitively at each other before they turned and hit Fukuro as hard as they could in the stomach. My mouth dropped open, but Fukuro didn't even flinch. How strong were these guys anyway?

"Jabra is right, he's at 2020 doriki, while you're at 1980 doriki." Fukuro said after unzipping his mouth for a second time.

"What is doriki?" Alex asked, whom I had almost forgotten was here.

"Oh, it's a ranking system that we made up as kids to measure physical strength. Fukuro gets the rankings when we hit him in the stomach." Kaku replied and Alex's eyes sparkled in admiration.

"How high are Althea and I." Alex asked.

"You have to punch me first." We both shrugged and hit Fukuro with all our strength in the stomach. "Well, Althea, I think that's you," Fukuro said, turning to me, "You're at 270 doriki, while you're at 240 doriki" turning to Alex. The others looked impressed, while Alex just looked disheartened.

"Damn, I lost to Althea and that's not even high."

"Well, I can't deny that you lost to Althea, but that was probably only because you were sick for a while. And besides, that's very good for the short amount you've been training." Kaku said to Alex. He turned to Lucci and said, "I'm such a good teacher, aren't I. My pupils are already at 270 and 240 doriki. They really grow up fast don't they?"

Suddenly, a loud voice yelled into the establishment. It was Tilestone. We all groaned. Someone was about to pay a lot for damages.

* * *

My head pounded and ached, and the light hurt my eyes. So this is what a hangover felt like. The party had gone on to the early hours of the morning, and sometime during the party someone, although I would bet money that it was a drunken Paulie, slipped some alcohol into my drink multiple times. I couldn't even tell you what happened during the last half of the party. It all seemed fuzzy. I heard some voices talking softly. Even those noises hurt my head. Note to self; never attend a Galley-La party without being prepared for a hangover the next day.

"You two shouldn't have come. What happens if people find out about the CP9?" One voice said.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine." The next voice said.

"I'm more surprised by how high the two apprentices' dokiris were than you showing up." A third voice said.

"They hadn't even been training for a year yet. That is pretty impressive." A fourth voice said. With that statement, I sat up, and looked around the bar. Shipwrights were passed out on the floor, and some lay on the remnants of tables with drinks in their hands. Tilestone alone must have destroyed four tables at least last night that I remember, and the rest had been destroyed on way or another. The only ones who were awake were Blueno, Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa, Jabra, and Fukuro. Even Iceburg was out cold, having started a drinking contest with Granny Kokoro. The six of them were awake, and calmly talking at the bar. A wave of pain hit me as I moved my head slightly, and I groaned. Kaku noticed me and came over to me.

"You seem like you had a rough night." Kaku said.

"Yeah, Me and the rest of the Galley-La company. … I think that Paulie slipped alcohol in my drink. I can't really remember that well."

"Well, alcohol will do that to someone." I looked around the room again.

"I don't think that a lot of work will be getting done today, will there."

Kaku laughed. "No, there probably won't be."

"So what were you guys talking about just now?" I asked, curious.

"Oh, we were talking about the rumors of a secret assassination group called the CP9. Its all rumors, but they say that they travel around, and that one of them even obliterated a whole island once. Some say that there are agents from it on this island at this very moment, but I don't believe in them." I thought I saw Jabra snicker a bit at that but I ignored him. I checked my watch, and decided it was time to go.

"Well, I should probably be off, then. I want to take a shower after all this mess." I told them.

Jabra nodded and said, "Cold showers are good for hangovers."

"Thanks for the party Blueno; it was really fun." I told him.

"Anytime." He said.

"Well, not anytime, because this" I motioned towards the damage done to the bar and the shipwrights passed out on the floor, "cannot be cheap to fix, but thanks."

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to charge Paulie for all the damages. He planned the party." Blueno said with a smile.

I laughed. "He can add that to his list of debts." I started to walk towards the door. "I best be off then. It was nice meeting you, Fukuro, Jabra, and Blueno."

"Wait!" Kaku told me and I turned around as I was going to push the doors open. "Take Paulie with you and drop him off by his room. It's on the 2 floor, and it's the first room on the left."

"If you say so." I said and used my ropes to grab Paulie. Kaku whistled.

"You've gotten pretty good at that, haven't you, Althea." He said.

"Not really, I still have to learn a lot. I'm nowhere near mastery of these things. I don't even like using these things, although they are sometimes convenient.

"Well, I can't deny that. Enjoy your day off, because I don't think that Iceburg is in any position to assign work." Kaku pointed to the man sleeping with his face on the bar.

"That's true. I'll see you all later then." And with that I walked off.

* * *

**Whew, that took longer then expected. And over six thousand words, that more then double than my history paper. These chapters just keep getting longer and longer. And to think that I had wanted to cover the rest of the shipwrights in one chapter. At first I wanted to have one chapter for all of them, but that turned into one chapter on Kaku and then one chapter on the rest, and then it went to one chapter on Kaku, one chapter on Paulie, and one chapter on the rest. I hope this makes up for the long wait. I am done with school now, so I should be able to get a chapter or two in before I leave for nine weeks of sleep away camp, which has no Internet. Because of that I may not be updating for a while after the next two weeks, but there is a possibility that I might. Just letting you guys know in advance. I hope you liked it. I estimate at this point that we have two and a half more chapters left in water seven before we move onto the next arc. Again, reviews are welcome and appreciated, and they really make my day and actually motivate me to write, for some strange reason that I do not know. **


End file.
